Northern Kentucky Beekeepers Association

Monthly Meeting Notes

Tuesday January2, 2018 – 6:30pm

CampbellCounty Extension Office

29 people in attendance

  1. President’s report (Tom Spille)
  2. Opened with Pledge of Allegiance.
  3. Welcomed 9new 1st time visitors, and five new familiesjoined as members at the meeting (Jerry Biedenbender, Mike and Mary Creamer, Mary Ann Scultz, Mark Friedenmaker, and Collette Truett).

b. The board met November 20th and laid out our tentative schedule for 2018 (see below).

c. Our discussion tonight includes Nomination of Officers for 2018, Bee Schools planning, NKYBA and KSBA membership, bee order information, mentor program, web site info, Facebook, Schedule for 2018.

  1. Vice President's Report (Rhonda Hampton)
  1. There are name tags available in back at sign-in table. Please wear these so we can get to know each other better.
  2. Distributed flyers for our FREE Beginning Bee School (Introduction to Beekeeping 101) – please post around (workplace, libraries, coffee shops, garden clubs, hardware stores, community bulletin boards, etc). The flyer is attached to these notes. Also, help spread the word by telling friends, and by liking and sharing on facebook.
  3. Distributed signup sheets to register for the Beginning Bee School, and 15 people signed up at the meeting. You can register online at: boone.ca.uky.eduor by calling 859-586-6101.
  4. Also distributed signup sheets to help at registration desk, bring dessert, etc. Many volunteered to help but still need a few more volunteers to help with registration, sell raffle tickets, bring drinks (water, and 2 L soft drinks) and a few more desserts.
  5. We need volunteer(s) to bring snacks for 3 remaining CAMPBELL COUNTY meetings (March, May, Sept.). Expenses are reimbursed by NKYBA. One of our new members – Mary Ann Schultz - agreed to take this on. Thanks Mary Ann!
  1. Treasurer's Report(Anna Gurley)
  1. 2018 dues are $10 per family/household and can be paid by cash or check (to NKYBA) at the break or by mail.Benefits of membership for those who join on or before April include use of club extractor and use of American Foul Brood test kit. Regular members are also eligible to be included on our swarm list(see Secretary’s Report below for details). Membership is Jan. to Dec. Membership in the Kentucky State Beekeepers Association (KSBA) is $15/year and can also be paid through our club.
  2. We have 24 paid members/families as of the January meeting.
  3. We had $3,300 in our treasury beforethe meeting.
  1. Secretary's Report (John Meier)
  1. Don’t forget to sign in and check the sign-in sheet for accuracy. Also indicate whether you want to be on swarm list and for which counties. If you’re not getting club correspondence, verify your email address is correct.
  2. You have to be a member by April meeting to borrow the extractors and the test kits for Foulbrood. To get on swarm list (which is finalized at the April meeting), you need to have attended at least 3 meetings (bee schools count also) in the previous 12 months. (To simplify tracking this, we've agreed to include all 12 months in previous calendar year as well as any months up to April in new calendar year.
  1. Committee reports

a. Club equipment: We have 2 honey extractor sets and American Foul Brood (AFB) Detection Kits. With our growing membership, we may need to consider a third unit at some point.Anna is getting a teaching aid kit available at Brushy Mountain, about $95, to use for our presentations to the public as well as for a demonstration at our free beginner bee school.Anna is also getting a new table sign. She's hoping a creative person will come up with a motto/slogan/clever phrase to have on it as well. Respond with ideas?

b. Introduction to Beekeeping 101 School. Our tentative schedule

  • Annawill coordinate registration & raffle sales.When she calls for the catalogs she will ask for donations from the suppliers.
  • Tom Spille, President (9:00- 9:05) Welcome introduction and schedule for the day
  • Rhonda Hampton, Vice President (9:05-9:25) “We Need Bees”
  • John Meier, Secretary Elect (9:25-9:35) “Speaking of Bees...basic beekeeping buzzwords”
  • John Kerr, (9:35-10:00) Beekeeping Tools & Equipment, where to buy
  • Break (10:00-10:10) Raffle Tickets available during break
  • Jim Coss, (10:10-11:40) will speak for about 1.5 hours on First year hive management/ installing packages and pests overview, Q&A after that.
  • Lunch (11:40-12:15) Vendor sales, Raffle Tickets available during lunch
  • Jim Coss,(12:15-1:45)Nucs and Splits, Q&A
  • Closing, (1:45-2:00)Raffle and Door Prizes
  • John McMillen volunteered to demo a hive at the school during breaks and lunch and Mike Janickiwill be asked to demonstrate the teaching hive.
  • We will have vendors set up for review or purchase of supplies during the school day.
  • The club will provide drinks and desserts. You’re on your own for lunch- suggest brown-bagging it.
  • Still in need of door prizes.

c. Intermediate Beekeeping 201 School:

The school is scheduled for Saturday March 10th from 9 am to 4:30 with Phil Craft as the speaker. Phil is a former KY State Apiarist and currently an international expert consultant on beekeeping issues. Check in begins at 8:30 a.m. Cost is $15 for members, $20 for non-members. $5 for children 12 and under. Includes lunch with Q&A during lunch. Located at the Boone Cty. Enrichment Center lower level. Flyers for the school will be available soon.

  1. 2018 Officer Elections
  1. Taking office in March, nominate in January and February, vote in February
  2. A list of officer duties were distributed and are attached.
  3. Current officers:
  • President- Tom Spille
  • Vice President- Rhonda Hampton
  • Treasurer- Anna Gurley
  • Secretary- John Meier
  • Member at Large- Carl Knochelmann
  1. Opened the floor for nominations.
  2. Anna Gurley will not seek reelection as Treasurer. Tom nominated John Kerr (who was absent) for Treasurer and Carl seconded the nomination. Jack Carr also expressed interest in this position and will let us know if he wants to be nominated.
  3. Nominations will continue at next meeting on Feb. 6, with elections immediately afterwards.
  1. General discussion

A variety of topics were discussed – getting hives through winter (protection from freezing, feeding), top bar hives, hive losses last year, stories (and picture of Tom) about stings and how to avoid.

  1. Adjournment- The next meeting will be Feb. 6th meeting at the Boone County Extension Center. Topics for Feb 6 are 1) Installing a package of bees &2) Nucs (need volunteers to cover these topics). Dan Gottmann, who sells nucs and other equipment, is our tentative speaker.

2018 Calendar:

*Meetings held on 1st Tuesday of the month unless noted and schedule/topics subject to change

  • Jan 2: Campbell County: Board nominations & Bee School planning session, KSBA, bee order information, mentor program, web site info, Facebook, Schedule for 2018
  • Feb 6: Boone County: Elections & Bees- Elections. Installing a Package of Bees, and Speaker on Nuc Management, construction and using nucs as an emergency hive. Tentative speaker is Dan Gottmann of Danny G’s Honey Bees.
  • Feb 17 Saturday: Boone County Enrichment Center: Lower Level, Annual Free Bee School “Introduction to Beekeeping 101”,9 to 2
  • March 6: Campbell County - catching swarms; capture boxes; swarm baits. Members Ron and Joanna Zembrodt will be presenting.
  • March 10: Intermediate Beekeeping 201, Boone County Enrichment Center, lower level. Phil Craft is presenter.
  • April 3: Boone County: Different types of pollinating plants/trees Gina Ligon from Boone County Extension, move venue to Boone County Arboretum or Nature Center Trail weather permitting
  • May 1: Campbell County: Dr. Tammy Potter, KY State Apiaristwill speak on bee issues in KY.
  • June 5: Boone County: Field Event and Hive visit- Boone Extension Nature Center NKYBA members to teach “Stations”
  • July 10: meeting at “School House Bees” - Ron Spille, topic Q&A on general beekeeping and tour
  • August 7: Boone County: Guest Speaker Keith Crigger of Crigger Honey
  • September 4: Campbell County: Winterizing Your Hive and Varroa Mite treatment
  • October 2: Boone County Extension Center: Harvest Social - Harvest Social and discussion. Discuss experiences with wax processing. Club furnishing simple meal (chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, drinks, plates, etc). Members can bring something to share, side or dessert, but not req’d.

Please support our association, NKYBA dues $10/family/year; KSBA membership is $15 per year per family. Please support our association and the state association by joining both when you re-new your membership with NKY beekeepers assoc. We will send down your state membership information as a group. All memberships in the KSBA run from January 1 to December 31 each year.

useful web site link:

For current and past newsletters, click on “Kentucky Beekeepers Newsletter”, a pop up box lists current and past issues, just click which one you want.